The latest edition of the Hard Rock Hideout Podcast is now available for streaming or download. Our latest podcast features Jim Müller from Kissin’ Dynamite, and Steve Brown from Trixter. Check it out!

Every now and then, bands from yesteryear release a new album trying to cash in on the hopes that their remaining fans will buy some of their new music. At the least, it provides a reason to go out on tour, or join in on the festival circuit. More often than not, these cash-in releases are sub-par and usually best left not purchased. So, you can imagine my expectation level when the new Trixter CD, New Audio Machine came across my desk for review.

It’s so nice to report that this album was more than a pleasant surprise. I don’t know what Trixter has been up to for the last few years, but I do know that I wish they had more great music like what is contained on New Audio Machine. This is the best 80s band release since Whitesnake’s Forevermore.

I’ll admit that I haven’t paid any attention to Trixter since purchasing their debut album over 20 years ago. Their self titled debut was one of the greatest records of 1990, and the follow up, Hear, was decent, but was also a victim of bad timing. Nirvana and Soundgarden had emerged as the new sound of hard rock, knocking most 80s rock bands to the side. Trixter disappeared shortly thereafter and wouldn’t resurface until 2007. Now back with their first album of new material since 1992, Trixter is ready to rock with New Audio Machine.

New Audio Machine kicks off with the very catchy tune, “Drag Me Down.” An acoustic guitar romp opens the track reminiscent of Blue Murder’s “Jelly Roll,” before the song kicks into high gear, pounding the senses with some serious hard rock sounds. This song works very well as the lead track and reintroduction to Trixter It’s been 20 years since fans have heard new, original material from this band, and “Drag Me Down” is a great reminder of the superb music they can make.

“Live For Today” is one of two ballads on the record. While not the classic power ballad that hair metal is known for, “Live For Today” is a pretty song with meaning. Trixter has grown both emotionally and musically as a band, and this shows on “Live For Today.” With 20 years of history in their rearview mirror, Trixter is taking a moment to reflect on how fast life rips by us. The message in the music is to slow down and enjoy today for what it is. Tomorrow may not come, but if it does, let’s worry about it tomorrow. For all of us aging rockers, that is a poignant message.

“Tattoos & Misery,” the record’s first single, is the best song on the album and recalls the glory days of the 80s, being lived in the current decade. Blending the classic sound of Trixter’s debut with a touch of modern rock, “Tattoos & Misery” harkens back to the bad relationships of high school days while staying rooted in the modern template of today’s relationship struggles. Pete Loran’s voice is strong on this single and the harmony vocals by P.J. Farley and Steve Brown are exceptional. If you’re looking for a summer song to blast out of the stereo while cruising the highway with the windows down, this would be a solid choice.

It’s nice to see Trixter return to recording new material after a long absence. If New Audio Machine is any indication of the creativity that the band has left in them, then I can only hope that Trixter continues to record new material. New Audio Machine is the perfect blend of old and new, a worthy disc to reconnect fans with a long lost, often forgotten, solid rock and roll band. New Audio Machine is definitely worth checking out.

Trixter fans worldwide can click here to witness the worldwide premiere of the video for “Tattoos & Misery”. The song is the first single from Trixter’s forthcoming album NEW AUDIO MACHINE, their first new offering in twenty years. Trixter guitarist Steve Brown wrote the song with band members PJ Farley and Mark “Gus” Scott, as well as hit songmaker Xandy Barry (Back Street Boys, Miley Cyrus, Redlight King). The video was edited by Shawn Card (Lit, Eve 6), directed by Trixter and John Covington and shot on location at Inkbomb Tattoo in Chandler, AZ and Lightroom Studios in West Milford, NJ. The video also features model Kandyk. Steve Brown commented, “‘Tattoos & Misery’ rocks! Classic Trixter sound…I know all of our fans around the world will love it and the video was a blast to make.” Click here to preorder NEW AUDIO MACHINE.

NEW AUDIO MACHINE will be released on April 24th in North America via Frontiers Records. Featuring the band’s original line-up, the album is produced by Steve Brown with extra production and engineering by Chuck Alkazian (Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Tesla) and includes songwriting contributions by Skid Row’s Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan and Styx’s Glen Burtnik. Trixter will take to the road beginning in May to support the new offering; please see below for tour dates.

Northern New Jersey’s Trixter’s self-titled debut album (1990) spawned three monster hit singles/videos with “Give It To Me Good”, “One in a Million” and “Surrender”, as well as an RIAA-certified Gold album. Trixter has toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan. They have performed in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds of up to 35,000 and have appeared live on numerous television and radio programs such as Entertainment Tonight, Pay-Per-View, VH-1, MTV, Z-Rock and MetalShop. Trixter has shared the stage with such rock heavyweights as Kiss, Boston, The Scorpions, Poison, Vince Neil, Cinderella, Warrant, Slaughter, Winger, Skid Row, Great White, Firehouse, Faster Pussycat, Stryper, Dokken and more. The band recently nabbed the #29 spot on VH-1’s “Top 40 Hair Bands of All Time” countdown.

In advance of their first new album in 20 years, the new single from good time rock n’ rollers Trixter, “Tattoos & Misery” is now available on iTunes.

Click here to purchase. “Tattoos & Misery” was written by Steve Brown, PJ Farley, Mark “Gus” Scott and Xandy Barry (The Rolling Stones, Puddle Of Mudd, Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus), mixed by Corey Pensa and is featured on Trixter’s forthcoming album NEW AUDIO MACHINE, which will be released on April 24th in North America via Frontiers Records. Featuring the band’s original line-up, the album is produced by Steve Brown with extra production and engineering by Chuck Alkazian (Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Tesla) and includes songwriting contributions by Skid Row’s Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan and Styx’s Glen Burtnik. Trixter will take to the road beginning in May to support the new offering; please see below for tour dates.

Northern New Jersey’s Trixter’s self-titled debut album (1990) spawned three monster hit singles/videos (See below) with “Give It To Me Good”, “One in a Million” and “Surrender”, as well as an RIAA-certified Gold album. Trixter has toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan. They have performed in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds of up to 35,000 and have appeared live on numerous television and radio programs such as Entertainment Tonight, Pay-Per-View, VH-1, MTV, Z-Rock and MetalShop. Trixter has shared the stage with such rock heavyweights as Kiss, Boston, The Scorpions, Poison, Vince Neil, Cinderella, Warrant, Slaughter, Winger, Skid Row, Great White, Firehouse, Faster Pussycat, Stryper, Dokken and more. The band recently nabbed the #29 spot on VH-1’s “Top 40 Hair Bands of All Time” countdown. Trixter is Pete Loran (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Steve Brown (lead guitar/harmonica/backing vocals), P.J. Farley (bass/backing vocals) and Gus Scott (drums/percussion/backing vocals).

Frontiers Records is proud to announce the return of good-time rock n’ rollers, Trixter; the band’s first new album in 20 years, NEW AUDIO MACHINE, has been confirmed for a release date on April 20th in Europe and April 24th in North America.

Featuring the band’s original line-up, NEW AUDIO MACHINE is produced and engineered by Chuck Alzakian (Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Tesla) and includes songwriting contributions by Skid Row’s Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan and former Styx member Glen Burtnik. Trixter frontman Pete Loran commented, “After all these years playing and recording with this band, I would say I am most proud of this record!” Lead guitarist Steve Brown added, “NEW AUDIO MACHINE is everything Trixter was and everything we are now. I can’t wait for the world to hear it!”

Northern New Jersey’s Trixter’s self-titled debut album (1990) spawned three monster hit singles/videos with “Give It To Me Good”, “One in a Million” and “Surrender”, as well as an RIAA-certified Gold album. Voted “Best New Band” by Hit Parader Magazine and “Best Concert” by Metal Edge Magazine, Trixter has toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan. They have performed in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds of up to 35,000 and have appeared live on numerous television and radio programs such as Entertainment Tonight, Pay-Per-View, VH-1, MTV, Z-Rock and MetalShop. Trixter has shared the stage with such rock heavyweights as Kiss, Boston, The Scorpions, Poison, Vince Neil, Cinderella, Warrant, Slaughter, Winger, Skid Row, Great White, Firehouse, Faster Pussycat, Stryper, Dokken and more. The band recently nabbed the #29 spot on VH-1’s “Top 40 Hair Bands of All Time” countdown.

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the signing of TRIXTER for the worldwide release of the band’s reunion album in the spring of 2012 !

Formed in Paramus, New Jersey during 1983, TRIXTER would learn their chops playing live in the club circuit around their hometown with the likes of SKID ROW and KIX, before eventually getting signed by Mechanic/MCA for their self-titled debut album in 1990, which spawned the Billboard Hits & # 1 MTV Videos « Give It To me Good », « One in a Million » and « Surrender » and went on to become gold. The band toured nationally during 1990-91 sold out arena tours with POISON, SCORPIONS and WARRANT. TRIXTER’s second album, « Hear! », was released in October 1992, touring in support of KISS. Unfortunately the change of musical climate made it impossible for the band to keep going so, after the release of an independent covers album, the band called it quits in 1995.

TRIXTER finally announced the reunion of the original lineup in 2007. Since then the band played several shows, including a successful appearance at the Rocklahoma festival in 2008. « The band has been playing together for the last 4 years, so making a new record is the next logical step, » tells guitarist Steve Brown. « We are all very excited: the new cd will be entitled “New Audio Machine” and is a classic style Melodic Hard Rock album. All the sounds people have loved about TRIXTER will be there… Great songs, big guitar riffs, catchy vocals and a huge bottom end. A total big rock production!!! »

TRIXTER are now formed by Pete Loran on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Brown on lead guitar, P.J. Farley on bass and Gus Scott on drums. « We take pride in the fact that we are one of the few bands of our genre that have all original members, » says Brown.

With an arsenal of great new songs and a catalogue of two successful releases TRIXTER are looking forward to bring their songs on stage « We are hoping to land a support slot on one of the major summer tours, » concludes Brown. « And we finally hope to play our first European tour as well. » Get ready for the return of TRIXTER !

Trixter was the second band on the stage at M3, and I must admit I wasn’t very excited about seeing them play. I have seen them perform a few times in the nineties, and thought they were o.k. at best. I missed the beginning of their set, as I was in the VIP tent with Jetboy. I did make in for the second or third song of Trixter’s set.

I thought Trixter was better than I remembered them to be. Not perfect, but a fun band, and they certainly did their part to get the crowd revved up.

Last night, on my long trek home from M3 from Baltimore, I was listening to the Eddie Trunk show on The Boneyard on XM Radio. Eddie called Trixter a party band like Van Halen. I nearly wrecked my car. Did he hear the same show I did? Clearly Trixter, is nothing like Van Halen. The band did do a pretty fun set, but comparing the band to Van Halen is sacrilege.

On Sept. 23rd 2008, a rock band took matters into its own hands and released a record on its own imprint. Black Sun by Ra, a band that has scanned over 350,000 CDs since 2002, has made waves both in the quality of the new album and the efficient way it was produced and promoted.

With the lead single, “Broken Hearted Soul”, Ra and its new imprint, Sahaja Music Records, managed to get a double feature on the iTunes rock homepage and downloaded 8,000 singles by album launch.

Please explore the truly dramatic back story of a band that has fought to be heard for 6 years at:

The Motley Cruise might be a thing of history, but the new Rocking the Waves Cruise, is starting to look like a mini Rocklahoma lineup. This Cruise has Skid Row, Firehouse, Trixter, L.A. Guns (Phil Lewis) and now Warrant lined up to hit the waves next March. Go to BestMusicCruises.com for more info.

Looking at the list of acts above, this lineup may not excite a lot of people, but I would still like to see it. I love Tracii Guns, but I make no bones about it, that I prefer the Phil Lewis version of this band. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see their set.

Chip Z’Nuff mentioned in the Rocklahoma that a new Enuff Z’nuff album is on the way with Jake E. Lee on guitar. I am not sure if Jake E. Lee will be with them at Rocklahoma, but if so, this is a show not to be missed.

I haven’t ever seen Vain live, but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I would be happy to check them out.

House of Lords is still putting out new music, and has a new CD that will hit stores in a couple of weeks. Their last album, World Upside Down was quite good. James Christian is a very good singer, and the band features the talent of axe slinger Jimi Bell. Count me in!

I had the pleasure of seeing Jetboy live in Columbus (See this article for the concert review with videos). The band was excellent alive. I wouldn’t miss this their set for anything.
Tracii Guns mentioned in the Rocklahoma press conference that he hated opening for these guys, as they used to blow him off the stage. Jetboy was originally signed to MCA, and as with most acts on that label, never got the proper support they deserved. They are going to open up a lot of eyes at Rocklahoma.

Bret Michaels mentioned at the press conference that this will be a big show with pyro etc when he closes out on Thursday night. It sounds as if he wants to make this every bit of fun as a Poison show. He also mentioned that a special area will be set up where you can meet him in person, get an autograph, and a picture, and talk music with him. With Rock of Love being the #1 show on cable televison, there will be a lot of people waiting in line to meet Bret, without question. I don’t know much of his solo music, so I can’t say if his solo set is something I would want to check out. I will likely check out his solo disc that is supposed to hit in June.

Strangely enough, most of the bands on the Friday schedule, I have not seen live. For them to all be on the same bill together is quite cool. I wouldn’t want to miss one band on the Friday night line up.

XYZ was quite similar to Dokken. Terry Ilous said that this will be the first time the band has played together is several years. It should be an interesting set, and it will good to hear some of their tunes again.

Armored Saint is easily the heaviest band on the main stage for the entire 4 day event, and is a no miss act, in my opinion. Their CD, Symbol of Salvation, is still one of my favorites.

Kingdom Come always took a lot of crap for being a Led Zeppelin clone when they first came out. Nonetheless I like their first two CD’s, but I haven’t cared for their more recent material. I am not sure what the lineup will be for this show. I am guessing it will be Lenny Wolf and a bunch of hired hands. I will have to see what I can find out on this one. I have low expectations for this part of the show.

There are plenty of Night Ranger songs that I have enjoyed over the years. They put out a new CD in 2007, which I still haven’t checked out yet. Jack Blades, Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy are a very talented group. I wouldn’t dare miss this set.

Triumph and Extreme are co-headlining Friday night. This is one of the few appearances that Triumph is making
in 2008. Rik Emmett always puts on a good show. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.

Extreme is back together again with Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, and Pat Badger. They are working on new
material for a 2008 release. I would be happy to see Nuno play live, in any capacity. I am glad to see him return to the band that made him famous.

There is also one band that has not been announced for Friday. I am not sure who this will be, but the lineup is already a solid one.

The Saturday Lineup has a lot of question marks for me, but could turn out to be a solid day of rock.

My understanding is that Pretty Boy Floyd has completely reunited. This isn’t the watered down version of the band that Steve Summers has been on the road with. If so, then this would be kind of cool to see.

Every Mother’s Nightmare is a complete wild card. The singer, Rick Ruhl, and drummer Jim Phipps are the only remaining members. I like their bluesy Memphis rock, and would like to check them out.

Tora Tora on the other hand is a complete band reunion. I love their two CD’s Surprise Attack, and Wild America.
I have seen them live but it has easily been 18 years ago. They were great then, so I would imagine a solid show by this group. Hopefully their unreleased CD will see the light of day after this.

I never had the opportunity to see Black N’ Blue live, but I have all of their CD’s and would certainly want to check them out. Jamie St. James was pretty good on the last Warrant CD. I don’t know what the lineup will be for this show, but I doubt that Tommy Thayer will be part of it. Gene Simmons owns him now.

I have to admit that I have never been a Trixter fan. I always looked at this band as the New Kids on the Block
with guitars. I thought their music was a little thin back in the day, and seeing them live won’t change my opinion.

I have always liked Kix, and I have seen them live a few times. I have also seen Steve Whiteman’s other band,
Funny Money (which sounds exactly like Kix). It would be cool to hear some Kix tunes live again.

I saw Jani Lane solo in 2007, and he sounded great. I am happy that Warrant is back together again in a full reunion. I have seen them live a few times, and they always put on a good show.

Cinderella is also a band that has always put on an excellent show, each and every time I have seen them. Tom Keifer’s voice is the only thing that is a question mark about this show. The band has been off for a couple of years so I am hopeful that Tom’s voice is back to full strength.

The Sunday lineup is interesting, especially with two times slots still opened. One of these slots is heavily rumored to be Motley Crue. I am not sure of the other one, but wouldn’t be shocked to see Danger Danger get the other slot.

Sunday:
Axe
Beautiful Creatures
Zebra
Lynch Mob
TBA
Tesla
TBA

I doubt a lot of people are going to know Axe. I know the band, but I wouldn’t go out of my to see them play live. I like their tune Rock and Roll Party In the Streets, but that is about it.

Beautiful Creatures have released a couple of CD’s in this decade which is more than a lot of the bands in this music festival can say. Seeing them on the roster has me getting out my CD’s by them again. I would certainly want to check them out.

Zebra is a darkhorse in this lineup. I haven’t seen them live, but I am quite familiar with their music. This could be a good show.

Lynch Mob now features Oni Logan on vocals, Marco Mendoza on bass, Tommy Aldridge on drums, and of course George Lynch on guitar. I saw half of this band perform with Whitesnake, and would love to see this lineup in action. Tommy Aldridge is an animal on the drums, and George Lynch needs no introductions. I am interested in hearing his new Scorpion Tales album, but this is a Scorpions cover album. This is quite odd, considering that he hasn’t ever been in the band.

Tesla is the must see band on the Sunday bill. I have seen Tesla twice in the last year, and they were excellent both times. They will easily be the best band on the Sunday lineup (amongst those that have been announced so far.)

The side stages at Rocklahoma has a bunch of darkhorses, and bands that may surprise you.

I am not familar with most of the bands on the Retrospect stage, aside from: Mariah, Mass, Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, Nasty Nasty and Strikeforce. I would certainly like to
check out some of these acts, although none of these were bands were ever considered A-Listers.

The interesting thing about Stage 3 is most of these are all up and coming bands.18 year old Dario Lorina is an amazing guitar player. Look him up on you tube and watch this kid play. He is very good. Karnevil is his new band. I don’t know much about them, but with Lorina on the six string, they will be interesting.

Dirty Penny is one of the better new glam bands out there. They aren’t very original, but their new CD is pretty good.

The Gypsy Pistoleros close out Friday Night on stage three, and they are the must see band in Rocklahoma. The Flamenco twist on their upbeat glam tunes is certainly one that I would like to see.

Sweet FA is the late 80’s/early 90’s hard rock band that reunited in 2007. Their new CD, The Lost Tapes is quite good. I have seen this band live, and I know they are pretty good.

Banshee is another must see band on stage three. They are one of the heavier acts on this stage. If you haven’t heard any of their music, I recommend checking them out. They will surprise you for sure.

Gods of Kansas is a newer band that is starting to make some waves. They are currently playing a bunch of live shows all over the U.S.

Pownd is a newer heavy metal band that is located 2.5 hours down the road from me in Richmond, Kentucky.
Their newest CD is highly rated across the web. I will be reviewing this one soon.

Shadowside and Asphalt Valentine are two of Chavis Records newer bands. Shadowside has one cd out, and one
on the way. Asphalt Valentine is a hard rocking band from Atlanta, GA. Their debut will be released within
the next couple of months. (I will also be checking them out locally in two weeks).

I don’t know the other acts on this stage (Crooked X, Lipstick Magazine, Mindflow, Warmachine, and Krucible) but I will be exploring these bands in the months to come.

As a whole….Rocklahoma offers plenty of Nostalgia, but also a slew of NEW bands trying to make it in the music world. The addition of two more stages in 2008 greatly improves this event over the 2007 show.
I can only hope that I will be able to make the trek there for this show. I can’t imagine missing this event!